Lying in the tropics, close to 20° South and cooled by the trade winds for most of the year, the Whitsundays have an excellent climate. The waters are protected by the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef and most islands are surrounded by a fringing reef system.

Seasons tend to be dictated by school holidays rather than weather, so some of the best sailing & boating can be found in the off-peak periods. Summers are warm with frequent rain showers and winters are said by many to be the perfect climate - warm by day and cool by night.

The trade winds usually blow slightly stronger from May to August. July is the coolest time, January the warmest. And cyclones, if they do occur, are most likely between February and March. Good anchorages are plentiful and varied

Itinerary 1 Week

Day/night 1:
Airlie Beach to Nara Inlet 13nm

Day/night 2:
Nara to Cid Harbour or Gulnare Inlet 8nm/14nm

Day/night 3:
Cid/Gulnare to Hamilton Island 7nm/3nm

Day/night 4:
Hamilton Island to Whitehaven Beach 10nm

Day/night 5:
Whitehaven to Cateran Bay 8.5nm

Day/night 6:
Cateran to Butterfly Bay 10nm

Day/night 7:
Butterfly to South Molle or Palm Bay 14.5nm/20nm

Day 8:
South Molle/Palm Bay to Airlie Beach 8.5nm/12nm

Itinerary 10 Days

Day/night 1:
Airlie Beach to Cid Harbour 14.5nm

Day/night 2:
Cid Harbour to Whitehaven Beach 12nm

Day/night 3:
Whitehaven to Cateran Bay 8.5nm

Day/night 4:
Cateran Bay to Nara Inlet 10.5nm

Day/night 5:
Nara Inlet to Daydream Island 10nm

Day/night 6:
Daydream to Stonehaven 11.5nm

Day/night 7:
Stonehaven to Butterfly Bay 4nm

Day/night 8:
Butterfly Bay to Blue Pearl Bay 5.5nm

Day/night 9:
Blue Pearl to Macona Inlet 11nm

Day/night 10:
Macona Inlet to Woodwark 16nm

Day 11:
Woodwark to Abel Point Marina 8nm

Itinerary 2 Weeks

Day/night 1:
Airlie Beach to Cid Harbour 14.5nm

Day/night 2:
Cid Harbour to Plantation/Neck Bay 17nm/18nm

Day/night 3:
Plantation/Neck to Thomas Island 10.5nm

Day/night 4:
Thomas Island to Palm Bay 22nm

Day/night 5:
Palm Bay to Whitehaven Beach 17nm

Day/night 6:
Whitehaven Beach to Hamilton Island 10nm

Day/night 7:
Hamilton Island to Cateran Bay 18.5nm

Day/night 8:
Cateran Bay to Macona Inlet 8nm

Day/night 9:
Macona Inlet to Stonehaven 8nm

Day/night 10:
Stonehaven via Langford to Blue Pearl 4nm

Day/night 11:
Blue Pearl Bay to Butterfly Bay 5.5nm

Day/night 12:
Butterfly Bay to Nara Inlet 11nm

Day/night 13:
Nara Inlet to Happy Bay 12nm

Day/night 14:
Happy Bay to Mays Bay 8nm

Day 15:
Mays Bay to Airlie Beach 14nm

Climates and Winds

The Whitsunday Seasons are really known as either dry or wet. The 'wet' season is from January-March, the windiest months are March-May, the driest months are August-October.

From mid-late September onwards the trade winds abate and the best cruising weather in the Whitsundays is between August to early November. At any time of the year though, you can almost always be assured of having enough wind for a pleasant sail. The temperature is pleasant almost any time of the year in the Whitsundays, with temperatures seldom above 30 degrees celsius in summer or below 18 degrees Celsius in winter. You can swim year-round. The trade winds are re-established after the summer monsoon in April-May, providing brisk sailing for the most part throughout the winter; the weather is generally more settled after June and the winds get progressively lighter after mid September.